Ayodhya Temple construction date to be set in Goa

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Temple construction date to be set in Goa

HT Correspondent

(New Delhi, October 9)

 

AT A crucial two-day meet of Hindu religious leaders in Goa later

this month, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is expected to fix a

tentative date for starting the construction of Ram Janmbhoomi temple

at the disputed site at Ayodhya.

 

VHP senior vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore stated today that

the Margdarshak Mandal or advisory body of the organisation was

slated to meet in Goa on October 18 and 19 when it would propose the

date to commence work on the Ayodhya temple.

 

About 80 'dharmacharyas' representing different streams of Hindu

faith would assemble for this meet.

 

Their proposal would be endorsed by the sants or top religious

leaders at the much larger gathering of 'Dharm Sansad' that is to be

held during the forthcoming Kumbh Mela at Allahabad in January next

year, the VHP leader said. He told newspersons that the VHP was keen

to begin construction of the temple as soon as possible as 40 per

cent of the stone-cutting work for the purpose had been completed.

 

Brushing aside the possibility of objections from the Supreme Court

or the Government, Acharya Kishore claimed that the Central

Government itself had permitted the "shilanyas" or foundation-laying

of the temple.

 

"Once the Government has allowed us to lay the foundation of the

temple, it is implied that permission is granted to build the rest of

it as well.

 

"The makeshift Ram temple is already there. Only the plot where

it is

located is disputed. There is no dispute over the spot where we have

laid the foundation," he stressed.

 

Touching upon another issue, Acharya Kishore deplored the increasing

attacks on the followers of Hindu religion by alleged Church-backed

terrorist outfits in north eastern states. Referring to a recent

incident in Tripura, he said members of the Jamatia sect were

attacked by activists of the National Liberation Front of Tripura

(NLFT) who had banned Durga Puja in the State.

 

On October 3, when head of the sect Vikram Bahadur Jamatia defied the

ban to organise the puja, the NLFT let loose a barrage of gunfire

upon devotees injuring many of them, the VHP leader lamented.

 

Following this, he said he had written to Home Minister L. K. Advani

urging him to ensure that the Centre protects the right of Hindus to

practise their faith freely and fearlessly.

 

He regretted that while the VHP and other Hindu organisations were

being falsely accused of committing atrocities against Christians,

the excesses committed by the minority community on Hindus were being

ignored.

 

Acharya Kishore also warned that the situation in the north-east was

becoming "explosive" due to the activities of the Christian extremist

groups and the consequences would "not be good".